Let's Make This Moment A Crime
by beastofeden
Summary: Bella Swan has been a vampire with an extraordinary gift for a lonely 100 years, but when she moves to Forks and meets a coven of vampires, can another lonely vampire named Edward change her life?
1. Prologue

A/N: Here we go! I've written a couple fics before for other fandoms but this is my first

Twilight fic and I'm very excited!

Story title taken from the Format's amazing song. I LOVE the Format. if you've never heard them go download their music. They may be broken up now (sobs) but they are still amazing and worth your time/money/illegal download!

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. If I did Barfnesme would not exist. All I own are too many sharpies, too many shoes and 2 sets of Harry Potter books (hardcover and paperback-for when i want to travel light!)

It was an excellent night for hunting. She knew it would be.

The full moon shone down brightly, illuminating the forest. The light was pleasant, but not necessary, she could have seen just as well if there was no moon. The temperature was mild, not that her marble skin would have felt a chill in the air or raging heat. There were no predators lurking in the trees, though none would have harmed her. None would have dared try. Every animal knew its place in the food chain, and she was at the very top.

She danced through the trees, moving faster than any human eye would ever have been able to see. Missing every branch, never faltering, never slowing down, she ghosted over the forest floor, bare feet hardly touching the ground, dark hair whipping behind her, pale skin glowing unnaturally where the moon touched it. She snaked through the trees and had someone been watching-had they been able to see anything more than a blur-they would have thought her movements heartbreakingly fluid and graceful, a deadly grace though. The deceptively beautiful movements of a true predator.

Inhuman senses picked up the scent of prey and the burning thirst in her throat, usually ignored after decades of resistance and control, flared painfully. What she smelled wasn't what the ferocious animal inside her craved, yearned for with malicious, primal hunger…but it would placate her. She spanned half a mile in seconds and before the elk could even turn to see its attacker, teeth as sharp as blades were thrust in its throat and its blood was quickly devoured. She greedily sucked down the hot blood, giving herself over completely to her bases instincts. Hunt. Kill. Feed. Survive.

She quickly disposed of the corpse and continued on, an angel of death in the pale moonlight, taking down two more elk until the burning in her throat had faded to a dull ache. She thought about hunting more but dismissed the though. The thirst never really receded, just lessened to a manageable burn. She would need to be strong tomorrow but she knew she was as satisfied as she would get. The only thing that would completely satisfy her was-no, better not to think about it, best not to dwell on what you can't (won't let yourself) have.

She turned back in the direction of her new home and started the journey back-it was miles and it would take her only a few moments. As she ran small animals scurried out of her way, intent on avoiding the deadly predator they smelled. She took no notice on them, her mind was on more important things. _Big day tomorrow, _Bella thought to herself, sarcastically. _Another first day at another school. Who knows, perhaps Forks High won't be as dull as the last twenty high schools. Doubtful._

The leaves on the ground barely rustled as she flew on.

Miles away, in a large white house on the outskirts of the tiny town of Forks, Edward Cullen lay on the couch in his room, listening to music and musing about the coming day at school. His sister Alice had said someone exciting was arriving tomorrow, but wouldn't tell him what. She was even shielding her thoughts from him, reciting plays and translating texts in her mind whenever he was nearby.

_Maybe whatever…or whoever is coming really will be exciting, maybe it'll make my life a little more interesting, _Edward thought. He chuckled disdainfully. _Doubtful._


	2. Chapter 1

A/N-thanks for all the reviews so far, I'm glad you guys are liking it. sorry the first chapter was so short…it was only the prologue, just a little taste to get you guys excited. here we go with the first real chapter.

Disclaimer-don't own it.

Bella checked her bag for the fifth time that morning. Everything seemed to be there. Notebooks, pens, planner, cell phone, hairbrush, it was all there. Not that she would have missed anything, she had had plenty of time to get ready.

This was one of things about being a vampire she grew irritated with. Infinite time to wait. She had always been impatient, a trait that didn't go well with being immortal. How she wished she could know the frustration of oversleeping and having to rush to get to somewhere. She never had to rush.

She turned towards the full-length mirror across the room, her one concession to vanity. She normally thought nothing of what she looked like, as long as she had clothes on she knew she'd be fine. It's not like she had to worry about makeup or fuss over her hair. She possessed the flawless beauty that marked all vampires. Her beauty never felt like something she owned, it was something that had been given to her along with her other enhanced senses. She hated her beauty sometimes.

This day was different though. If she though hard enough she could dredge up hazy memories of her mothers voice, "Always look presentable when making a first impression." It tore at Bella's frozen heart that she could remember this inconsequential detail, yet she had long forgotten her mother's face.

Sighing, she gazed at her reflection. There was her perfect face, the smooth white skin and full pink lips. Her dark hair fell thickly below her shoulders, and her warm butterscotch eyes gazed impassively back. Her clothes were simple, well made and flattering but nondescript. Her assessment took a fraction of a second; she had no desire to stare at herself for longer than she needed to.

Glancing at the clock she saw that it was finally an appropriate time to leave. She would still be on the early side, but she did still need to register. As she picked up her backpack sudden knowledge worked its way into her mind. She smiled slightly as she made her way out the door.

So she wasn't to be the only vampire at Forks High today.

Turning his Volvo smoothly into the usual spot, Edward was bombarded by thoughts far less appealing than those of his brothers and sisters, who sat silent in the car. The bumbling children of Forks High were no different than any other teenagers at any other school they had been to. No matter the decade or the place, their thoughts always centered around the same things.

…_look at that ass she is so fucking fine…_

…_why doesn't he ever notice me maybe I should flirt with Tommy that'll make him…_

…_flunking AP Calc, why did I let that stupid guidance counselor convince me, college credits my ass…_

…_wonder what the new girl looks like…_

"There's a new student starting today," he told his siblings, sharing the information more for the sake of conversation than any actual interest. All a new student meant was a new voice to tune out.

He climbed out of the car and stood with the other four. Emmet and Rosalie pressed together, whispering to each other, and he didn't need to use hear their words or thoughts to know what they were talking about. Alice and Jasper's eyes were locked, having one of their silent conversations. And that left him, the eternal fifth wheel. As he gazed around the parking lot, something unusual caught his eye.

There was a motorcycle turning into the parking lot. With a woman riding it.

All eyes turned towards the deafening roar, and their confused and excited thoughts filled Edward's head. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Alice smirking, but was too interested in this sudden appearance to inquire as to why. The bike skidded to a stop and he watched the girl climb off of it and remove her helmet. Her back was too him and he waited for her to turn. She did, and their eyes immediately met. What he saw shocked him.

Her eyes were the same golden color as his. As his brothers and sisters. As his parents.

She was a vampire. A vegetarian, as his family liked to joke.

He found it almost impossible to dislodge his gaze from her eyes but he did, and he found it impossible to look away form the rest of her. Her face was heart shaped and breathtakingly beautiful, as all vampire faces were. Her long dark hair blew in the frigid December wind. A lithe, shapely body was concealed in a leather motorcycle jacket and tight jeans, boots on her feet. He saw that these boots were walking forward and realized he had been staring far too long. When he looked up he saw that she was walking straight towards him.

He noticed that his siblings had tensed, and that all the children in the parking lot were watching with wide eyes. No one had approached the Cullens since their first day, when they made it obvious they preferred to keep to themselves. As she neared, Edward found her eyes again and saw that they were still looking straight at him, but now they were clouded by confusion. Edward too grew confused as he became aware of something he had missed as he looked her over.

He couldn't hear her.

He concentrated as hard as he could, tuning out every other voice in his head and focusing on the girl-the vampire-walking towards him. But there was nothing. It was like her mind was not there.

Who was this girl?

Bella stared at the bronze-haired vampire in frustration. The others stood around him, gazing at her in wonder, but she had eyes for him. He was gorgeous, that was sure, but that was not the reason she could not tear her eyes away from him

She knew nothing about him.

REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!! please, i'm begging!!!


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: two chapters in one day, don't you feel lucky!

a few things:

bella's power will be revealed in the next chapter…probably. everyone seems pretty excited about learning what it is. I'm pretty proud of it, I think it fits with bella's personality.

speaking of bella's personality, one reviewer though she was a little out of character. I see it a little differently. my bella is a definitely different than stephenie meyer's-she's a 100 year old vampire. that's a 100 years to gain a little more confidence, a little more self-assuredness. plus her gift has changed her a lot as well (but more on that later). I totally believe that after 100 years as a vampire bella would be comfortable riding a motorcycle to school. and at the core she is still bella-timid, unsure, self-conscious. I'll make sure she never gets to ooc

disc-not mine

All morning Edward was plagued by the thoughts of the students of Fork's High. This wasn't an unusual occurrence, but today all the thoughts were centered around one thing…or rather, person.

Her name was Isabella Swan, although from what Edward had gleaned from the simple minds around him, she had corrected everyone who addressed her as such, telling them she preferred "just Bella." She was quiet, answering the overabundance of questions simply and politely. She gave intelligent and succinct answers in class. She seemed a normal, if exquisitely beautiful, seventeen year old girl. Edward, however, knew better.

Their awkward stare-off in the parking lot had ended abruptly with the bell ringing; they had not even had the chance to make introductions. As soon as she was offered an escape, Bella had darted off, and Edward noticed that while she was good at keeping up the charade, moving at an acceptable human pace, blinking and fidgeting at regular intervals, there were the differences that even the humans could pick up on. She was unearthly graceful, her movements as fluid and dance-like as Alice's. She also had a penchant for scrutiny. Several students had noticed her looking at them intently, only to have a knowing smile cross her face in seconds. She was an enigma.

And the most frustrating thing was that Edward was certain that even without his gift, she would have still been in his head all morning.

It wasn't only her beauty that intrigued him, or the fact that she was a fellow vampire. He had seen-through the eyes of others-moments when her mask would drop and he would see a sadness in her eyes. It stirred something in him he had never felt before, a feeling he could give no name to.

Edward mused on all this and more as he sat in his third period English class, the last before lunch. Alice sat next to him, smiling to herself and giving him knowing looks every now and then. It was maddening, she would not share any of her visions with him and was currently replaying vivid memories of her and Jasper's…private exploits, making sure he wouldn't listen in. He had a feeling she knew much more than even he guessed.

The bell rang signaling lunch and they rose to their feet, making their way to the cafeteria. Edward had a feeling this would be one of the more interesting lunch periods of the year.

So far the day was pretty much what Bella had expected. The same cliques, the same disheartened teachers, the same linoleum floors and harsh overhead lighting.

Different however, were the five other vampire students.

Bella knew she could have been a little friendlier this morning, could have at least introduced herself before running off. She had been fully prepared to extend the arm of friendship-they were the same, after all. She had seen their golden eyes, fellow animal-eaters were extremely rare, and she had never met any others. But that boy with the bronze hair…she had not been expecting him. She was totally blindsided, which had never happened to her in almost a century of vampiric life.

As soon as she stepped into the cafeteria for lunch she knew she was about to be ambushed. All eyes were on her but the only ones that mattered were the bright topaz ones coming straight at her.

"Hi! You're Bella." It was not a question.

"And you're Alice."

They looked at each other for a moment, and then Bella allowed Alice to link their arms and escort her to a table somewhat separated from the rest. Bella saw that they were all there. The tall, lanky blonde one she knew belonged to Alice, the humongous dark haired one with his arm wrapped around the impossibly beautiful blonde. And the copper haired boy who gazed at her so intensely she almost turned back the way she came.

Alice took her place beside the blonde male and Bella sat silently in the only other open chair at the table. She smiled timidly and Alice opened her mouth excitedly. "Everyone, this is Bella. Bella, these are my brothers and sisters. Jasper," her blonde, "Emmet," the big one who smiled widely, "Rosalie," the beauty who nodded briefly, "and…Edward."

Bella met each of their eyes. "Hi. It's nice to meet you all." She kept her gaze up, even though she desperately wanted to lower it and waited for their questions.

Emmet was the first. In a voice too low for any of the humans around them to hear he asked, "Are you here alone? Are you part of a family?" Bella noticed his use of the word "family" rather than "coven." She shook her head. "No, it's just me. I've made a few acquaintances over the years who I travel with from time to time, but when I settle its just me." Emmet opened his mouth to speak but Bella beat him to it. "To the human world I am an orphan and an emancipated minor. I little more suspicious, but I blend well. Especially if I have an 'uncle' or 'aunt' come to visit from time to time." They all smiled, all except Edward.

She could feel his gaze burning into her as she answered more trivial questions: Where was she living? How often and where did she hunt? Finally she turned towards him, the look on her face inviting his question. He opened his mouth but seemingly could not think of what to say. She waited a few moments, and almost turned away when he suddenly blurted out, "Why can't I read your mind?"

She had not been expecting this, it was incredibly frustrating. She sighed and shook her head. "I don't know. Why don't I know anything about you?"

Emmet laughed. "Well that's easy Bella, you two just met." Her eyes remained locked on Edwards as she muttered, almost too low for even vampire hearing, "That's not what I meant."

Before any more questions could be asked, the bell ending lunch rang. Bella breathed a sigh of relief. She stood and turned to leave but stopped when she heard a voice behind her.

"We'll see you tonight, at our house," said Alice, still smiling. Bella thought for a moment, and then nodded almost imperceptibly. She started walking and Emmet called after her "Meet us after school, you can ride with us, it's kind of hard to find."

Bella turned back and smiled. "I think I can find it ok myself." And with that she walked out of the cafeteria and on to her next class.

reviews are love


	4. Chapter 3

As Alice watched her husband and Emmett play some ridiculously violent video game, she thought excitedly about the guest who was due to arrive any minute. Everyone in the house was eagerly anticipating Bella's arrival. They had met so few fellow "vegetarians", the only others in the world they knew of were the Denali family, and so everyone was intrigued by the unexpected arrival.

Well, unexpected by some.

Alice had been seeing Bella for years. Occasional glimpses of the other vampire's life (and Alice had been saddened to see how lonely that life was) and also visions of the future, a future in which Bella was extremely important to her. They were going to be best friends. She had a particularly solid vision of she and Bella with their arms wrapped around each other smiling. It was one of the most solid visions she'd ever had. That, the vision that that had led her to Jasper, and the one she had had of the Cullen's that had led her and Jasper to them.

And then there was the vision she had had seconds after meeting Edward. It was crystal clear and had never wavered, not once in all the years since. She had been keeping it from Edward for decades, and she had a feeling she would see it come to pass very soon.

As a new vision flashed in her mind she smiled and called out, "Everyone, she's almost here."

**

Bella turned off her motorcycle and climbed off, staring up at the huge white house before her. It was lovely; as was the isolated forest it sat in. It was also imposing, but only because what she knew lay waiting for her inside of it. Bella hated being the center of attention and she knew she would spend the next few hours being exactly that. She slowly walked to the door and was just raising her hand to knock when it opened, revealing the two vampires she hadn't met. They introduced themselves as Carlisle and Esme Cullen and welcomed her inside.

"May I take your jacket Bella?" Esme asked in a warm, inviting voice. Bella smiled and handed her jacket over. Esme smiled back at her. "It's so nice to meet you. When the children told me that there was another one of our kind in living in town I was surprised, especially to hear that you followed our…diet." They both laughed softly. Esme explained that everyone was waiting for her in the living room and they walked toward it, but Bella saw something that stopped her in her tracks.

It was a beautiful baby grand piano. It looked brand new, though Bella was sure that was from cleaning rather than lack of use. A piano this lovely had to be played. She stood gazing at it until a voice broke her from her reverie.

"Do you play?"

It was Edward, gazing at her with those eyes, so like her own, but infinitely more beautiful in his godlike face. Bella was wordless for a few seconds, struck by his beauty, but then found he voice and answered, "No. Well, yes, but I haven't played in a very long time. Do you play?"

Edward smiled slightly. "Yeah, quite a bit. I'm surprised I haven't worn out the keys, actually. I played when I was human and have always loved it. How long have you played?"

Bella's smile faltered. "My father taught me." She didn't say anything else, and after a moment Edward sat down at the bench and started playing lightly. It wasn't anything Bella had ever heard before, and he seemed to be improvising. He lifted his head and gazed at her, nodding his head toward the empty space next to him on the bench. She hesitated for a moment, and then slowly sat beside him.

She watched him play for a few moments, listening to the beautiful music he was creating, before lifting her hands to the keys and joining him. They played together, the different notes dancing around each other, in perfect rhythm and harmony. They played for what seemed like hours, until the song they created slowly came to an end. Bella looked up at Edward and knew that if it were possible, she would have tears in her eyes.

She smiled shakily at him. 'Thank you." They gazed at each other until Alice's excited voice broke them out of their shared trance. They turned their heads to the diminutive vampire, who was waiting impatiently for them in the doorway to the living room. As she stood to follow Alice, Bella turned and gave Edward another small smile before turning back and walking into the living room.

**

Edward followed Bella into the living room where his family waited, his head spinning. Who was this beautiful, mysterious, confounding woman? He had been sure that spending more time with her would let him see that she was the same as all the other women, human and vampire alike, he had met in his long life. But she surprised him at every turn. The haunting sadness in her eyes when she mentioned her father made his heart ache and he had wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms. When he had motioned for her to play with him he had not expected much, but her passion and talent had stunned him. Never had he met anyone he could play with like that, someone who's skill and creativity matched his own. The song they had created together played again in his head and he smiled to himself as he sat in an overstuffed armchair, turning his attention to the vampire who was slowly but surely turning his world upside down.

He listened as Bella spoke to Carlisle and Esme, explaining the facts about her life she had already told the others at school earlier that day. When she explained that she lived alone for decades at a time, he saw Esme's face crease with sadness and smiled at her sympathetic thoughts. His adoptive mother was so loving that she couldn't bear the thought of such a sweet girl being so lonely. Bella also seemed to notice Esme's thoughts because she focused on her, smiling.

"Its very kind of you to worry about me, Esme, but I'm very content living the way I am." Esme and the rest of the family looked confused, and Edward questioned Bella, "How did you know what she was thinking?"

Bella chuckled to herself. "I suppose I should explain about my…talent." She chuckled again as Alice squealed excitedly. His brothers and parents looked incredibly interested. The only person not impressed was Roslie, who mentally grumbled over meeting yet another vampire with an extra gift.

"I have a way of…knowing things. Vampire I've met in the past have theorized that the special gifts some of our kind posses come from traits form our human life that are amplified during the change. I remember being very perceptive as a human." Bella ducked her head, seemingly embarrassed. Edward thought that if she had been human she would be blushing, she clearly didn't enjoy being the center of attention. "It was nothing special, I just always picked up on things most others didn't. After I changed," a grimace at this, quickly suppressed, "this increased exponentially. I just…know things."

Emmett laughed heartily. "Care to expand on that? We all know things."

Bella smiled at Emmett. "Well, for instance, I know that you almost died at the hands of a bear, and to this day they're you're favorite meal. Revenge is sweet, huh?" Everyone in the room was shocked into silence at this.

Carlisle looked very intrigued. "So, Bella, you can meet someone and know things about their past?"

Bella nodded. "Past, present…future sometimes. Its not always just about people though. Sometimes I know what the weather will be like the next day. Or I'll know that across the world someone is getting married or dying. Sometimes I'll know exactly what someone thinks of me, or their deepest and darkest secret." She smiled wickedly at that.

"Does it work on everyone?" Jasper asked.

Bella smile lessened at this. "Normally yes. There have only been two people my ability has never worked on. Myself…and Edward."

Again the room was stunned into silence. Edward took a moment to process this information. He found himself both pleased and disappointed. Pleased because it was only fair that if his gift didn't work with her, the same should be true in reverse. But he was also disappointed and he didn't really know why. He shook it off and questioned Bella, "So you don't…know things…about yourself?"

Bella looked into his eyes. He saw that sadness again and his still heart ached again. "When I was finished changing and opened my eyes, I knew exactly what I was and what I could do. I knew that I had to be careful to stay away from humans if I didn't want to hurt them, and that I could survive off of the blood of animals. After that, my ability has never worked on myself again."

Everyone in the room stayed silent for a moment. Unsurprisingly it was an exuberant Alice who broke the silence, literally bouncing up and down in her seat. "Use it on me, Bella, tell me what you know about me."

Bella looked hesitant. "Its not always good, what I know about people. I can't control the knowledge, it just kind of settles into my mind and I can't force it." Alice smile didn't waver at all, so Bella sighed and looked into Alice's eyes. Everyone waited for something dramatic, but Bella simply began speaking.

"You don't remember anything about your human life. You have visions of the future that are entirely subjective, based on people's decisions. Sometime in the next decade or so you'll meet a girl named Samantha who smells very appetizing to you but you'll stay strong and resist. The vampire who changed you did it to keep you safe from someone who wanted you very badly."

Alice's eyes widened as she took in this information. The rest of the family was just as surprised. They had all accepted that Alice's human past was something that would forever be a mystery and now this strange, beautiful, incredible vampire had changed that.

Edward's other siblings quickly clamored to be next, and Bella amazed them each with incredible information about their past, present and future. She knew of Jasper's service in the civil war, his history with the power-hungry Maria, and his deep-seated fear of loosing control and disappointing Alice. She told Emmett that he would meet a descendant of one of his human brothers in 2013. She even gained Rosalie's appreciation when she told her that if she hadn't taken her vengeance on Royce he would have gone on to rape and kill four other women.

Soon Carlisle interrupted, alerting the others that dawn was approaching and if Bella wanted to have time to get home and change before school she would need to leave soon. Everyone made their goodbyes to Bella and Edward felt his heart warm at the affectionate thoughts of his family. They were already enamored of Bella, especially Alice, Emmett and Esme. Bella stood to go and Edward realized that even though he would see her in less than two hours at school he did not like the idea of being parted from her. He met Bella's eyes, asking, "May I walk you out?"

She smiled shyly and nodded her head, surprising him by looping her arm through his. He ignored Alice and Esme's mental squealing and led Bella to the front door in a companionable silence. They walked out together and Edward reluctantly let go of Bella's arm and watched her climb onto her bike.

"No helmet?" He asked with a grin. She grinned back at him. "Not only would it not do me any good but helmet hair is the worst." They chuckled together, their eyes locked. Edward knew she needed to go but couldn't help prolonging her departure.

"So your power really doesn't work on me?' She nodded her head and he could tell this frustrated her. But she smiled at him and told him, "I guess that means we'll just have to get to know each other the old fashioned way. Bye Edward, I'll see you at school."

He watched as she sped off down the road, unable to control the smile on his face. She wanted to get to know him. For the first time in a century he couldn't wait to get to school.


End file.
